A flurry of earthquakes last week in West Texas — some of the region’s largest in recent years — appears tied to oil and gas operations.
Scurry County Judge Dan Hicks said Friday that his county was hit by 61 earthquakes over a seven-day period, including a 5.1-magnitude earthquake that morning.
That marked the fifth “magnitude 5 or larger earthquake to have occurred in the Permian Basin (and all of Texas)” since 2020, according to Justin Rubinstein, a research geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey. The Permian straddles West Texas and southeastern New Mexico and makes up nearly half of U.S. crude oil production, according to the Department of Energy.
In an email, Rubinstein said it’s “highly likely” that earthquakes this month are tied to oil and gas activity, such as the disposal of saltwater — a byproduct of oil and gas extraction — or enhanced oil recovery, where water and carbon dioxide are used to help extract oil.
